PM reviews status of Nuclear Command Authority

The critical Tri-Service Strategic Forces Command (SFC) was created in 2003 to manage and administer country's nuclear arsenal.

At present, it is headed by Lt Gen-rank officers of the three Services on a rotational basis but it is learnt that the Army, which controls majority of the strategic assets, wants its officer to head the body on a permanent basis while retaining the tri-services nature of the body at the lower level.

“The majority of the assets such as the long-range Agni missiles are held by the Army and therefore, the control of the SFC should be with us,” an Army official said.  

The SFC has the nuclear-capable Prithvi (150 to 350-km range), Agni-I (700-km) and Agni-II (2,500-km) ballistic missiles under its operational control at present.  

Incidentally, the Agni-2 was successfully test-fired by the SFC today off the coast of Odisha.